Attention Bull Riders:

Due to a computer glitch, bull riders who got traded but turned out received fines at San Angelo.  Those fines will be taken off your statements.  There are no turn out fines in the bull riding at rodeos that have the day money system.  In the other events if you get your preference and TO you receive a $25 fine.  At non day money rodeos like Mesquite you will get a fine if you TO’ed and were traded correctly.

Back when I got the Day Money system in… I traded it for no TO fines.  The first year it cut turn-outs by 50%. 

I calculated it out and I’m thinking it amounted to saving the bull riders around $150,000 in fines that year but back then it was nothing to see more than half the contestants turn out in a performance   With more rodeos, performances, and bucking more head per performance it’s hard to estimate what the annual savings amount to now.   

I had a bull rider’s mom tell me last year that she figured that over the years it had saved bull riders around three million bucks.  I can’t imagine that but she’s a lot smarter than me.  She teaches graduate school accounting at a major university.  

The year prior to getting it in we had a bull rider from Nebraska ride 23 straight and never won a dime.  Prior to the day money system the rodeo committees were pushing hard for $500 TO fines, ineligibility, and drawing stock one hour prior to each performance.   Every year in the new rule proposals you see proposals like that mostly directed at the two horse events.  The timed eventers seldom turn out unless they are up two places at once.  We still have a lot of  TO’s in the bull riding but without the day money system…shoot… there is not telling how many more there would be.  

Just in case the glitch affected other rodeos be sure to check your monthly statements.  You should go through them anyway.   What can really catch a person are overpayments at rodeos.  It happens more than you’d imagine and it rips guys who know they don’t have any fines so they don’t open (or have someone else open) their Ranch Headquarter’s statement.   Also, you may not know that they mounted out your bull and not expect the $20 charge on your account.  It would be smart to ask someone who was out that performance just to be sure your bull actually got mounted out.   Several years ago Ranch Headquarters caught a stock contractor who routinely said stock had been mounted when it hadn’t.  Seems like it amounted to a couple thousand dollars worth.

Remember, you go on the ineligible list on those unpaid statements on the second business day of each month.  If you rodeo for a living it wouldn’t hurt to check with the fines department towards the end of each month.  Don’t wait until you get drawn out of a good rodeo.

Bryan McDonald
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